Azerbaijani, Iranian Naval Forces Hold Joint Rescue Drill in Caspian Sea

Azerbaijani and Iranian naval forces recently conducted the AZIREX-2024 joint search-and-rescue exercise in Iran’s Caspian Sea sector.

“It included activities focused on implementing rescue and medical assistance measures in the event of maritime accidents, conducting search and rescue operations, and ensuring the safety of vessels,” Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported on November 4.

The primary goal of the exercise was to enhance military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran, promoting a message of “cooperation for peace and friendship.”

On November 2, two ships and over 100 personnel from the Azerbaijani Navy arrived at Iran’s Anzali port to participate in the drill.

According to the Defense Ministry, this exercise was part of a protocol established by the Joint Commission on military and military-technical cooperation, signed by both countries in 2023.

Brigadier General Mohammad Ahadi, Deputy for International Cooperation of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, signed the agreement on military and defense cooperation with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Major General Zakir Hasanov during his visit to Baku on September 11, 2023.

The military cooperation between Tehran and Baku was expanding under the framework set by the joint military commission.

Azerbaijani forces in the country's Nakhchivan exclave and the Iranian Armed Forces conducted simultaneous tactical exercises at their shared border on June 12, involving combat hardware, aircraft, and UAVs.

During the exercises, coordinated tasks focused on protecting strategic assets and communication links against potential sabotage.

In May, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Iran inaugurated two dams on the Araz River at their shared border. The two countries are also developing new transport infrastructure in this area, expected to become part of the Middle Corridor. An upcoming railway line, informally referred to as the “Araz Corridor,” will provide a direct land link between Azerbaijan’s East Zangezur Economic Region and Nakhchivan exclave via Iran.

Despite previously strained relations due to Iran’s objections to Azerbaijan’s strengthening military ties with Israel, the Zangazur Corridor, and an armed attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran, the two Caspian nations have worked to rebuild their ties over the past year.

In late October, Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh dismissed “rumors” suggesting that some of Israel’s October 26 airstrikes on Iran might have originated from Azerbaijan or Turkmenistan. Iran confirmed that Israel struck military sites in northern Tehran, western Ilam, and southwestern Khuzestan provinces, resulting in the deaths of four military personnel and one civilian security guard.